Doritosgate – after the storm, lets clean ourselves up

Scottish writer Robert Florence sparked a series of events that brought “games journalism” to its knees last week. Patrick Garratt says the time has come for an indelible line to be drawn between the industry and the media.

I’m glad Doritosgate happened, even though many people in the UK games journalism trade have had a terrible week. It’s been a long time coming, but we now have to openly accept that cosying-up to the people selling the products on which we’re reporting is blatantly unethical.

Towards the end of last year, I became so uncomfortable with VG247′s general relationship to the games trade that we had serious discussions internally about dropping all contact with the PR process treadmill. We are not “corrupt,” but our audience – over 1.3 million unique users in October, more than 3.5 million YouTube views per month – has grown to the point that we are now on almost every list for every publisher event. I had just been abroad with a large publisher, and the level of hospitality was cringeworthy. We got some great content as a result, but a large amount of money had been spent on the trip and there was open pressure from PR and marketing surrounding some of the output. We could hardly complain: we’d taken the shilling simply by being there.

Some weeks later I was having dinner with another journalist on another press trip. I raised my concerns, and this person dismissed them, saying that I was “intelligent,” and therefore wasn’t likely to be swayed by publisher PR spend. That we shouldn’t be so lavished upon by the companies selling the games we’re writing about was scoffed at. This person produced no content from that trip, then went on what I can only describe as a holiday with another publisher a few weeks after.

I didn’t reach a definite conclusion on any changes in the way VG247 was to operate in 2012, but I took the decision that I wouldn’t accept any more flights and hotels from publishers for press trips. I thought we could “play it by ear”. We’d sent a US freelancer to Valve’s studio in Seattle to create Portal 2 launch coverage last year and paid for the flight and hotel, and it didn’t work out too expensively. I wanted to create more distance between us and PR. As VG247 got larger, so did my sense of unease.

The resolve didn’t last long, unfortunately, and I’ll explain why. Firstly, I tried to sort out my own arrangements for a press trip to Rome, and just didn’t. It was expensive, it was to see a single game, and when your own money’s on the line you think far more carefully about getting on the plane. As a result, though, we missed out on some crucial coverage. This irked me, and I immediately questioned whether or not going on all-expenses-paid trips like this really did matter. Everyone else was doing it, and we’d done it for years. Maybe I was just being silly. I spoke to a few PR people about it, and, again, was laughed at. If you’re swayed by someone buying you a flight, it was said, then maybe you’re in the wrong game. If you’ve been watching the violent debates surrounding games journalism over the past week, you may well have seen similar lines trotted out by others.

Secondly, I was invited to the Microsoft Spring Showcase in San Francisco in February. California is a long way away from Europe. The costs really were high, and I wanted to go. There are some trips, I told myself, that it’s important to attend in order to foster a decent relationship with UK PR. Conveniently, it fell just before GDC; Microsoft was flexible about the flight, so I was able to travel from Paris then stay on for the show. Microsoft paid for the premium economy ticket and several nights in the Mark Hopkins hotel. We spent the days at the event working, and the evenings at mass dinners, which were always paid for by Microsoft.

We got a lot out of it. I worked hard. We had content live for the Halo 4 reveal, and we got the first look at Forza Horizon. Given what VG247 is, we should absolutely have been there. Whether or not I should have been there personally is a different matter. And if I should have been there, then I should have just flown myself there and paid for a hotel. It would have cost thousands, but this is my business. This is how we make money. I was ignoring the fact that I could have sent Steph, our US editor, instead. This is what I should have done. And we should have paid for it ourselves.

I made the wrong decision. The truth is that if one performs as part of sponsored trips, one cannot, no matter what anyone says on the matter, remain completely objective. No matter how well intentioned, you are not independent if you operate this way. If you’re not independent, then it seems logical that the content you create under these circumstances can’t be absolutely trusted.

I want VG247 to be trusted. We are not “bent,” and never have been. I do not want anyone to think we are.

The Great Crisp Disaster

I’m not going to go into the details of what happened last week. If you’re not au fait with Eurogamer’s editing of Robert Florence’s article on grey areas between the games press, marketing and PR, and what ultimately proved to be a Sandy-style aftermath, you can get everything that’s been said about it from this post on NeoGAF.

And I’m not going to name names. I’ve read some insane, shuddersome drivel over the past few days which misses the point of both Robert’s article and quite why we should be closely examining games journalism. Some names have probably been named enough. One of them is that of VG247′s Dave Cook – I’m only including him here because unless I do there’ll be some genius in the comments screaming about me wanting to cover up his part in events – and I sincerely hope it’s the last time he sees mention of himself in relation to “Doritosgate”. Dave is, without question, one of the most diligent, dedicated games journalists I’ve ever worked with. Seeing him involved last week over what was essentially a momentary error of judgement was unpleasant. The point lost to many in the hysteria that followed the editing of Florence’s article was that this isn’t about individuals: it’s about an entire industry, about the video games press and the closeness of its relationship to marketeers, about how the line between “enthusiasm” and “advert” has become blurred in some cases to a dangerous degree.

I believe Robert’s piece, and the circumstances around its publication, should be all the impetus we need to make changes now.

I’m glad Doritosgate happened, even though many people in the UK games journalism trade have had a terrible week. It’s been a long time coming, but we now have to openly accept that cosying-up to the people selling the products on which we’re reporting is blatantly unethical. It’s common sense. While I have total faith in both myself and my team, in our passion for the subject and our ability to be professional, I think that, honestly, we have all been professional in an unprofessional situation for far, far too long. While we certainly are independent in mind, we must, at this point, become independent in action. “You have to trust us,” after Doritosgate, is no longer enough.

As a result, I’ve decided to put the following rules in place for our staff, effective immediately. I’m ashamed I didn’t do this last year. I would encourage other websites to follow suit. Several of the US games publications adhere to similar guidelines, but VG247 will be, as far as I’m aware, the first UK games site to adopt anything like this.

We’ll declare everything. Any travel, accommodation or hospitality accepted by VG247 staff in the course of work will be fully declared in any resultant editorial.

No engagement in publisher-held competitions. VG247 staff will never again enter a competition hosted by a publisher or platform-holder.

Writers will never report on companies or products in which they have financial interest, or on companies which employ family members or close friends. Most games journalists have friendly relationships with some publisher PR. As of now, those friendships will prevent staff members from writing about any related company’s products. Similarly, our staff will now not write about products and companies in which they have a vested interest: this includes any crowd-sourced projects they may have backed.

We will always protect the identity of our sources. VG247′s sources will never be disclosed it they speak to us under condition of anonymity. It’s normal that VG247 journalists’ sources aren’t even divulged internally.

A note on advertising. VG247 is always likely to be primarily funded by video games advertising, for reasons I hope are blatantly obvious. We will never carry advertorial. Our ads our sold by Eurogamer Network’s sales team, which is based in Brighton, UK, and is independent to VG247′s editorial staff.

In reality, these (obvious) rules won’t greatly affect the way we work at all. We don’t take bungs for scores or sell top-slot stories for coke and hookers. Our journalists have integrity, no matter what may have happened in the last week. We try to be good. VG247 is a quality, popular site, and I’m proud of both the publication and its team. What these regulations will do, in theory, is shade any grey areas in our operation either black or white. Our staff will now know what they can and can’t do, and you, as a reader, can feel completely comfortable in reading both our news and opinions and knowing you’re seeing independent editorial.

Like, that’s what you were seeing anyway. Hopefully now there’ll be no question to the contrary.

Note: This article has been edited. The following sections of our original guidelines have been changed or removed:

No flights or hotels. We’ll no longer accept flights and payment for hotels from third-parties.

No hospitality. No more free bars. I mean, I’m sure there’ll be free bars. But our employees won’t be drinking at them. This rule also includes food. As of now, VG247 staff will buy their own vittles when they’re “in the field” wherever possible. If, for whatever reason, a VG247 staffer eats or drinks at the expense of a publisher, it’ll be disclosed.

Any gift over £50 disclosed. We regularly get sent promotional materials by games publishers. From now on, all “swag” will be either given away on the site or through social media, or donated to charity. This doesn’t include games, or at least it doesn’t include all of them. We need to play games a lot, and the only way we can keep up is through promos.

Any coverage resulting from press trips to be disclosed. Self-explanatory. If we do decide that we’re going to pay our own way to attend a publisher promo event, we’ll clearly say so in any resulting copy.

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I’ve always been a “silent follower” of your work on VG247 and today i can proudly say that this article is a clear sign of the quality “hiding” behind this webpage. In my life i’ve never seen an editor being so humble and honest about his job.

You speak the truth. Being a videogames editor puts you, and your staff, in a delicate position. You want/must be neutral, but a the same time you can’t really avoid what every PR will set up for your editorial staff and your company. I’ve seen tons of magazines and websites claiming to be independent, and at the end i’ve always been able to see where their judgment was clearly influenced by PR people.

I’m a sort of a colleague. I’m an external contributor to a lot of videogames magazines in my country, I have some experience in the field and i’ve been given the chance to grab a lot of “swag” by publishers and PR people, but i’ve always had the same concerns and behaviours when publisher’s advertising come down to this. You really can’t be open to those kind of “prizes” and pretend to stay independent. This job is about being totally “friendly” with PR people, or cold and professional for the sake of “pure information”.

I can’t say anything more than “thank you” for what you’re doing for our industry, and i hope that VG247 will keep having this openness for a very long time.

Nice. I think both Robert and you are totally right the industry is corrupt.

The same in some way is with the auto journos. For 90% of the time they are totally in manufacturers hands and those things don’t lead to objectivity. Chris Harris from the YouTube channel Drive wrote an article on Jalopnik which stated the bad things Ferrari do and now he is on their blacklist, which is totaly wrong.

The Gamespot scandal the same absurd. Movie journalist asked to go to preview screening of a new blockbuster and writing a review for that movie before it is released. Again how can he/she be totally objective and the site/magazine/newspaper he/she is working also, when somebody is favoring you this way.

The problem is that not playing by the rules can be bad for the “offender”. It is a reallity, some companies will decline interviews if they think, they can’t get enough benefits from you. But this is why I like you, RPS, Kotaku, to some extend Eurogamer. I think those are the sites in which I can put my trust. To sites like Gametrailers and IGN I go only if they offer some special that I am interested.

I never for a moment questioned any of VG247′s staff integrity, I have always trusted & respected you guys & your opinions. I personally don’t think these guidelines were even necessary but I’m glad you’re still taking responsibility for the way the industry works & respect that fact that you’re trying to change it.

Hopefully this whole situation will also pave a way to more honest reviews. Very rarely do I ever think someone was bribed, but when they have their hand in a cookie jar, no matter how honest they are, it’s likely to influence their opinion & that leads to safer scores- it’s just plain rare to see an OK game score less than a 7 by most reviewers & that’s why I disagree with publishing a score in the industries current state.

Great job VG247! Nice to see these policies set in stone and giving readers full transparency. You’ve set the bar, anad hopefully other sites do the same and realise that this is an important issue for many readers.

@19 Erth you have to be careful with blanket statements like that, seriously. Most journalists we know aren’t corrupt, but they just see the meals, flights and freebies as part of the process – and don’t let it sway their opinion of games at all.

The problem is, that they should see it as an attempt to curry favour.

@22 exactly, and this has been a real eye-opener for me. I never saw retweeting the hashtag as a bad move until the fall-out from ‘Doritos-gate’. It was wrong, and it has caused me to see this side of things in a new light. it’s time for others to question it too.

I only have one comment:
“No hospitality. No more free bars. I mean, I’m sure there’ll be free bars. But our employees won’t be drinking at them. This rule also includes food. As of now, VG247 staff will buy their own vittles when they’re “in the field” wherever possible. If, for whatever reason, a VG247 staffer eats or drinks at the expense of a publisher, it’ll be disclosed.”
I feel that this rule is a step too far. Your staff need to eat and drink, and the reality of it is that if you get somewhere at a god awful hour after yesterday’s flight, so your suffering from jetlag, your going to need tea/coffee.

Not only that, but surely events are sometimes out of the way – the only source of food for miles is going to be what their serving you.

I feel that if anything this should be relaxed a little – if a publisher is offering you a sandwich, and it means you can get an extra hour or so on whatever title it is to squeeze that bit more coverage out of, you should take it.

I’m not trying to contravene you, but trying to be realistic. I guess that’s why you put “where-ever possible.”

@32 yeah especially with gamers who hate the press scrutinising every time we sneeze or scratch our balls. They hound us constantly and everything we do is wrong. It’s not an easy job most of the time, even if it looks it.

@35 Absolutely. The amount of game journalists I see on Twitter publicly praising and acknowledging that they’ve paid into Kickstarters is quite something. However, where does the cut-off for that lie? If this is the case, where would this leave Minecraft coverage considering most people paid for it when it was still in Alpha? Or Prison Architect, which has its own tiered system? I think that for these kind of crowd-funded games, if you’ve paid anything above what’s necessary to be granted the base final retail copy, that should be disclosed, but if you just want to throw in a cheeky fiver into the pot, that can be overlooked.

This code of ethics should probably be permanently linked somewhere on the site for future reference. Kudos for making it crystal clear to the readers, Patrick & Team.

@36 you can’t really expect a gaming news site to only report on things they themselves have gleaned. I think that’s wildly ambitious, especially for a site with only half a dozen or so staff.
We receive a great mix of news & journalism here, imo.

Great piece!
As an addition, could you start crediting posters who linked you to news when you write an article? I know you do it already, but a lot of the times the original poster is ignored. It just seems fair to credit it

Congrats, kudos, and all that. But one has to ask – were weren’t any of those guidelines a concern before Doritosgate? If they were, why address them now? “Last year” seems little when the damage done has built up for years; suddenly writing an editorial on integrity seems misplaced. It suggests that if none of this had happened, VG247 and other sites would have remained quiet on the issue; and some will still pay no mind to this, no doubt. It’s not that I’m questioning your integrity and professionalism (though content like “eating pants” is just sensionalist and pointless), but that comes with time and effort, not simply saying you’ve acted that way. But even then, the general cowardice of the industry has made it so there is always a high level of suspicion surrounding videogame journalism that even the most honest sites and staff cannot hope to overcome.

In fact, integrity in an age of advertising is hard to maintain. Could VG247 afford to cut their ties with Eurogamer in protest of their treatment of Florence and his article? Probably not, but the end result is an editorial pining for transparency and integrity from a site linked to a network that censored someone writing about those things.

Don’t think it’s extreme at all. Part of having integrity is not letting there be any doubt and not even opening yourself up to the posibility of being influenced.
It’s part of taking your job as a journalist/reporter/critic seriuously.
Good move on VG247′s part and hopefully more sites will follow.

Hats off to Pat and the VG247 staff. This was always tangible in your work, that’s why I left hanging around other places a long time ago and hopped on the VG247 boat. That’s why I like it here and that’s why I’ll continue to be part of the VG247′s community. Guys, thank you for being honest and thank you for all the hard works you do on a daily basis.

Despite having popped in to read stuff on VG247 for a long time, I was only prompted to register recently after new appointments meant that the site was updating with more content, and with some really great writing from, in particular in this case, Dave Cook. I’ve occasionally seen Patrick tweet about how pleased he is with the increased traffic on the site, and I felt good for him that this boost had come about, in my eyes, from an increase in quality content.

So it was with some disappointment that I read the names of people in the EG piece last week. Indubitably the reaction might not have been so public without the naming of names leading to other things, but I always felt it was wrong to infer ‘corruption’ about individuals, however qualified Robert Florence’s statements were that perception was the key factor, rather than any allegations actually being made.

All that said, a part of me is glad that a light has been shone on this, however late it might seem to some, and however some might still seek to justify the receipt of favours as just a tool of the job. I actually think that the very high standards that Patrick sets here might almost seem too extreme, as I don’t think there is any shame in accepting travel costs or accomodation in the pursuit of your job, and while I’m not interested in the turnover of VG247, I’d hate to think that they would be financially compromised in the production of their great content. But I guess that is the point, isn’t it? You have to draw a line somewhere, and as a keen gamer, and observer of the industry, I have to say that from all of this kerfuffle, the line drawn here by Patrick is one of the clearest.

The writing around it in this piece is also reflective, thoughtful and I thought very interesting. Just like the stuff that has made me come and read more on VG247. Given how personal to DC this seemed last week, this is exactly the kind of grown-up response that I was hoping for from somewhere. Having read all of that neogaf thread linked above… yes, ALL of it, I can safely say that not everyone appears to be thinking in the clear manner in which this piece has been constructed.

@Dave: I think Garratt explicitly stated he decided to put those rules “effective immediately”… which suggests they weren’t, adding he felt ashamed he didn’t do this last year. Maybe it’s poor phrasing or the rules themselves coincide with how the staff has worked in the past, but it still doesn’t sound right.

I want to repeat I’m not questioning how the staff operates, or did. The issue itself needs to be tackled head on by all sides, and any step toward that is a welcome one, though this awareness – coming from several sites, not just VG – feels somewhat strange.

After dropping Kotaku and the other Gawker blogs, which are essentially caricatures of the Doritos problem, I was left so disillusioned that I avoided gaming news sites for two years now.

Any site that deletes/bans comments consisting of objectively correct, properly referenced factual corrections just because it undermined an advertorial, has no right to call themselves journalists. People who got upset at Polygon’s pizza flop don’t know the half of it.

What pisses me off is that everyone clearly knew it was corrupt but no one has written anything until this guy retires and tells everyone, this should of been written when that guy got fired for doing a bad review on kane and lynch

I wish we could all be honest with each other and call it ‘entertainment reporting’ instead of ‘game journalism’. The latter isn’t something that I think most people would even be interested in, as games are a form of escapism. Unfortunately the former (clearly more accurate) title confers a lot less gravitas, so here we are being shocked by something quite unremarkable in reality.

@56 I tend to refer to myself as a game critic, rather than a journalist. The term journalist doesn’t sit right with me. I am aware that My Twitter profile has me down as a journo, I just haven’t gotten around to changing it.

Good policies and may help bring game reviewing up to the standard of real journalism (we can argue about the decline in that another time) from what to my eyes has increasingly been akin to freelance reviewing from the publishers.

However how these disclosures will be done?
Will there be an side box with the reviews/articles or will there just article at the end of the year? While the first may seem a bit over kill and some publishers probably wont like it, the second is a bit sweep under the rug.

I always clean myself after eating doritos, they let my fingers with a yellowredish colour, nice to know you are doing the same
p.s Nicely done guys, iam proud of being a commenter here and somewhat ,somehow , be part of this in any form or shape, thanks.

@57 I would love to see more game journalism though – more articles about how games are made, how developers raise and fall. Instead of just a review and leave a game come back in a few months see how it sold what the public reaction was, ask the devs what went right and what went wrong. Articles about new tech. We all love the unreal and crysis dev vids so interviews about that new rendering techniques etc.

I realize such things would cost money and the demand would have to be weighed but if game critics cant do it who can?

Are you saying that you don’t check the sources though, Pat? Not that VG247 has been involved in any Watergates, but litigation and libel became a topic this week, and it is ultimately the editors job to make sure the research, and the sources hold up before printing.

The editor checking those things is as much a guarantee for the reader, as it is for the people who may or may not be impacted by the article.

@61 I’m personally queuing up a lot of developer profile pieces – Stay tuned for Harada’s Tekken legacy piece soon – as I enjoy reading about how games are made. But there is this weird line drawn in the sand where some consumer sites don’t report on game development as it’s seen as too ‘industry’.

It’s something I’ve personally encountered at previous jobs – won’t name names – but yeah I’m a fan of making of pieces. I’m just not sure they’re relevant to an up to date news site.

With the viewing figures quoted in the article, I’m seriously at a loss toward why other ads that are relevant to probably the most market-friendly sub section of society can’t offer a valid alternative to publisher-funded ads. 18-35 y.o. – young single, professional. Loads of money. I’d rather see an ad for Apple, Windows 8, Calvin Klein etc. etc. than see Ubisoft’s latest.

Surely true independence is when your (3rd person) wages aren’t being paid by the people you’re reporting on?

And y’know what, I’m fine with that. I saw how the sausage was made, and it wasn’t as pretty as I thought. (I think Pat will know which bit of the trip I’m talking about.)

Don’t get me wrong, I had a brilliant time on that competition trip, made some good friends and talked games for three days solid. We even got an extra night in an asylum for our trouble, but there were things that left me uneasy about the whole process, and I applaud Pat for his stand here today.

This is really great and I’m more than glad to see VG247 staff like Pat and Dave being so honest and humble here but I’m still mad. Even if the original article did get its message across, it was still threatened and censored by some people within this industry and as long as those people still work in their respective publications, I have almost zero faith in anything reported by them (I’m mainly looking a MCV and a certain “law suit education / threat” wielding lady).

Am I the only one who thinks the first rule really isn’t necessary (flights and hotels)

Just be honest in your opinions, and if publishers react negatively to it, that’s their prerogative. It’s simply something you can’t avoid. I honestly don’t see why it’s hard to remain objective in that situation.

Just be sure to put a disclaimer at the end of your pieces. That’s worked for me for years.

You still need to promise to be proactive in uncovering unethical behaviour in your own industry, and you still need to promise to join (and preferably, help create) a trade organisation whose sole purpose is to report on the standards and failures of your industry as soon as such an organisation appears.

Even so, you just gained a potentially regular reader.

One who feels kind of weird to be grateful for your now unambiguous ethical guidelines. Because I shouldn’t be. Pretty much every other kind of critic, journalist and outlet operate within clearly stated ethical guidelines and are members of trade organisations whose sole function is to play watchdog.

it´s the right move. the only way. even if it seems like it will hurt, in the end it doesn´t. you shouldn´t play the game if the game is corrupting you. maybe you will have more inconveniences, maybe less cash, but you´ll be able to look into the mirror knowing that you are not just doing a job but living your own life, a life where you are the captain not letting the circumstances steering the boat.

Just don’t forget that by having a large website, with a lot of viewers, that you are already doing said companies a favor by showing up at their events. I would have ZERO problem with some level of compensation.

I know it is a fine line.

I also know that maintaining your independant integurty is meaningless if your viewership and website are meaningless. I mean to say, if your site doesn’t get the “inside” coverage(like exclusive one on ones, previews, interviews, ect), readership can easily fall off. Most of us aren’t loyal and will go as the wind blows. the truth is you need industry and the industry needs you. It really is one hand washing the other.

You can’t afford to burn bridges. The industry isn’t that big. Snub the wrong guys, and you could get snub for their next game and the few after that.

So, while I aplaud the notion of independance and journalistic integerty, I don’t think those things apply fully to games as they do in other sectors. A dumb example:

Sandy(the hurricane) just went through several states. There was no preview of it, no inside info, no creative personel to interview, there was little or nothing to cover that could be kept from anyone that wanted to cover it. It just happend, no one needed an invite to cover it. If you have weather staff, ground staff, network feeds, and a venue you could cover Sandy. Didn’t matter if you were CNN, TWC, or the local news.

But games…Games isn’t just about a game that released. Covering the games industry is indeed about events, pressers, interviews, etc. there is a lot of inside and exclsuive content. You either play the game or risk being on the outside looking in. I would rather have my staff eating some chips and drinking some beer that were provided by the promoters and be able to get a sit down with the lead design on a major upand coming release, then to be snubed infavor of another site that plays their PR game and gets the scoops.

So in all of my wind bagging, I say caution. You guys know the industry. You know how things work. And I think you know what it takes to keep bringing us the best damn stuff possible. Just don’t forget that. I love the idea of giving away much swag, that helps conect with readers. But if acepting a plane ride, a hotel room, and a bag of Doritos means getting us the freshest and best info on something … might as well suck it up.

Holy cow! I’ve only been coming to this site for a couple months but it steadily became the main games site i come to, and now I’m happy it is!! You guys rock for this. And I’m with #25 you guys are totally un Adblocked on my computer!

81 – I think that’s exactly it, though. I’ve seen a number of games writers responding to this mess as if the suggestion of more transparency and clearly-defined boundaries on their end is a direct and ludicrous attack on their own integrity (I’ve seen ‘guilty until proven innocent’ thrown around, as well as ‘if you don’t trust us, go somewhere else’, and, in response to this article, ‘extreme paranoia’).

It’s sad. Because games writers can make it an issue about their own sites and whether or not they personally need this sort of thing, or they can – as Pat has done – set some visible standards in the hope that other outlets will follow suit and create a bit of accountability across the board. Good job, lads, I’ll be keeping an eye on you from now on.

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Thanks to Roystan Ross and the Unity engine, you can play the first level of Super Mario 64 in your browser. This little nugget came to my attention yesterday, and unfortunately it became lost on my worksheet. Better late than never, I suppose. Anyway, the level is free-to-play and if you don’t wish to play […]

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